Military Women Show Their Might in Counterinsurgency

More than 200,000 women have served in Iraq and Afghanistan – but they’re technically not allowed to engage in direct combat.
(flickr user Yankee November (cc: by))

Proportionately, more female soldiers work in counterinsurgency in Iraq and Afghanistan than in other parts of the military. So what's behind the numbers, and how can the military best use women for those operations? We look at the military jobs women may be better at than their male counterparts with Army Reserve Maj. Paula Broadwell, researcher at the Center for Public Leadership; and retired Army Sgt. Genevieve Chase, founder of American Women Veterans.

“I think that men recognize the invaluable contributions women make. That’s not to dismiss the challenges that exist for women in the military. There’s still cases of rape and sexual harassment, but I think it comes down to educating men on the value of women in their units and then enforcing discipline and standards as far as their behavior.” —Army Reserve Maj. Paula Broadwell, researcher at the Center for Public Leadership, on the increased roles for women in the U.S. military

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Comments [3]

Gina Corcoran

Terrific program and comments from both of your guests. I served with MAJ Broadwell in Germany for several years and she is absolutely right about the contribution that men and women make in today's military. It is a matter of using the skills people have to their best ability.